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He had a round the table discussion with representatives from mental health charity Mind In Cambridgeshire who run the service along with Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust which runs The First Response Service which gives those in mental health crisis the opportunity to get access help quickly, by calling the team on 111 and selecting option 2.

Describing the new services as “groundbreaking”, Mr Hunt told the News: “The Sanctuary is a safe space for people going through mental health crisis where they can be referred instead of going to the emergency department.

“We’ve got used to the NHS that deals very effectively with physical emergencies through our A&E departments but we’ve been less good at providing care for people in mental health crisis.

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“This is what the Government wants to achieve. We want everyone to be able to be referred to 24/7 care for mental health crisis.”

So far, more than 1,000 people living in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough have accessed both crisis mental health services which are running as a one-year pilot.

When asked if the Government would support funding the services in the long term, Mr Hunt said: “It’s for the local commissioners who hold the NHS budget to decide these things. But I’ve been really impressed by what I’ve seen.”

There has been 394 referrals since the Cambridge service opened in April. (Image: Keith Heppell)

Cambridge’s Sanctuary along with a second in Peterborough offer people somewhere to go where they can access emotional and practical support rather than having to attend hospital.

So far, there has been 394 referrals since the Cambridge service opened in April and in the last month, both sanctuaries have received 126 referrals.